The demand for re-poll

Although save for the PTI which gained commanding lead in the July 25 elections several political parties have alleged rigging during the vote counting process, the protest plan announced after Friday's multiparty conference to seek reelection is neither wise nor likely to go very far. Speaking to the media, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman, who co-chaired the conference alongside PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif, claimed to have achieved consensus on launching a movement for fresh elections. Apparently, under pressure from those who have little to lose, the participating parties also decided their elected representatives would not take the membership oath in protest against alleged irregularities. Unsurprisingly, however, the PML-N was not quite ready to go to that extent. Sharif said he would consult his party before announcing the final decision. Another important stakeholder, the PPP, as well as the MQM despite having rejected the election outcome stayed away from the conference.
Starting a protest movement at this point in time when the country faces grave security and economic challenges is in nobody's interest. Besides, the chances of it gaining traction are dismal. Even if the rejectionists manage to stage a strong show of strength - something improbable - past experience shows it can lead to ruinous consequences. In any case, reelection is no guarantee the result would be any different. The major players, including the Nawaz League, surely are aware of the risks involved, and may not really want to go for another election. It seems the conference's participants just wanted to vent their frustration, and offer consolation to their supporters and sympathizers disappointed over their electoral performance. That though is not to say allegations of irregularities against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) are without a basis, only that there are better ways to deal with the issue than to start an agitation.
The Pakistan People's Party while rejecting the electoral process has adopted a sensible, pragmatic approach. Addressing a press conference the same day as the conference in Islamabad party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari iterated that "it was not a legitimate or free and fair election" but that "for the sake of the democratic order's stability" the PPP had decided not to boycott Parliament. It is golden chance, he said, to make a new beginning through a civilized, democratic process. That does not mean things are to be accepted as they are. Since there is a general agreement on that the ECP failed to fulfil its responsibilities, he rightly demanded that all of its members should resign. Equally important, he averred "we look forward to pursuing our case in Parliament." Between them, the PPP and PML-N would make a formidable opposition in Parliament. They must use that position to make the electoral process transparently free and fair.